I have been back in the U.S for almost a week, and its funny to me that I have to adjust back to the place I grew ups and have been so accustomed to my whole life. Going to live in France for almost four months has been the craziest and most amazing experience of my life. I never doubted when I heard people say going abroad changes your life, but experiencing living abroad, I feel like this barely scratches the surface. I am so proud of myself for moving to different country with a different language and entirely different culture than my own. I was able to adjust and embrace a new way of life and learn so much about myself in the process. Men in France sometimes would be extremely pushy, and not listen when I would say no or leave me alone. There were several instances where I experienced this; their attitudes were different than men in the United States, and I had to be able to convey my feelings and ensure my safety. I was confident and able to diffuse the situations without making anyone extremely offended or angry, which I think is an important thing to acknowledge, as people can get ugly in situations like this, regardless of the culture. Reflecting on my experience, I fee like I was respectful in my ability to embrace the French people and their culture.
There can be frustration when it comes to barely speaking the language, but I never gave up and would (almost) always communicate what I needed to say. There were a lot of people who did not speak English, and I think at times, I could notice people getting irritated by me speaking English and/ or being American. But I never let the looks or cold shoulder get to me, because I knew it has nothing to do with me, but the perception of Americans. But I would actively try and change this narrative by being friendly and respectful to my host country. Someone from ym host country would say, “how can you live in our country without learning the language?” To that I’d respond, there is no better way to learn than live there, and you should be flattered people want to come live amongst your culture in your beautiful city. I don’t get why people are so hostile to different cultures trying to blend with their own. It is important to share values, beliefs, food, art, etc. I would get frustrated at the hostility of some people, but I would never take it personally, so it never really affected my mood or overall view of Aix. I think it is a cultural misunderstanding to say French people are rude, because you can find rude people in every country I visited. But you can always find wonderful people who want to share their culture and experiences! My time abroad has inspired me to look into graduate schools abroad, because I would love to move to a new country and get to experience this all over again! I love meeting different people and hearing their experiences and travels. It is so inspiring and I want to be a part of that! I would go back to France in a heartbeat, but I am excited for what is next in my future as well!